


I have to do what now?

by scyler23



Series: Shorts and Outtakes [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Again, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Glaive-prince, I have descended into NyxNoct hell, M/M, Time Travel Fix-It, the Astrals bugger up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-06-19 12:06:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15509502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scyler23/pseuds/scyler23
Summary: Noctis wakes up one night back safely in the Citadel after defeating Ardyn. Only to find that he is once again eighteen and will have to do it all over again. Thankfully he will find himself some new helpers and a few other saving graces.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's official. I'm totally obsessed with NyxNoct. I cant stop writing about it. Most of the stuff I'm getting ready to share with you guys is probably gonna involve NyxNoct in someway. I'm sorry. Anyway please enjoy!

“Son of a-!”

 

A loud thump sounded as the flailing, cursing form fell off the high bed. A few seconds later the was a knock on the door and a voice called out, “Are you alright, Highness?”

 

“I-I’m fine. I just fell out of bed,” the prince called back, hand flying to his mouth when he heard his own voice.

 

“Alright... Do you need anything?” the person on the other side of the door called.

 

“N-no, thank you. I am alright...”

 

“Good night then, Prince Noctis.”

 

Noctis sat on the floor of his room in the Citadel. The bed sheets were twisted around his body and hanging off the large bed, clear signs of a restless night. Running shaking hands through midnight hair he pulled his knees to his chest. Nothing made any sense to hi right then at there. The last thing he remembered was finally killing Ardyn and ending the darkness. Now, he was waking up inside the Citadel in Insomnia and it seemed that he was about twenty years old again, if his voice was anything to go by. Taking a shaking breath he untangled himself from his sheets, looking for his phone. Finding it he clicked the power button he prided himself on barely flinching at the sudden bright light. One look at the top of the screen confirmed everything. He was eighteen again and nothing had happened yet.

 

The device slid from his now nerveless fingers to land with a muffled thump on the bed. Noctis could practically feel the weight of that sitting on his chest, making it hard to breath. Sliding back to the ground he leaned his forehead against the mattress as he tried to take deep breaths. Unfortunately he was fighting a losing battle with the hysteria threatening to escape him. Nothing seemed to help or even seemed to slow it down. Curled into a ball in his tangled sheets the prince almost failed to hear a familiar chiming from his phone. Lifting his head with wide tear filled eyes he looked around the room. A soft chirp sounded from his right hip and he looked down. There, looking up at him with large dark eyes, was a very familiar greenish grey fox with a small red horn in the middle of its head.

 

“C-Carbuncle,” he gasped voice rough and scraping past his lips.

 

The tiny god chirped again even as the prince’s phone chimed again. Reaching blindly back on to the bed, not trusting that the Astral wouldn’t vanish if he looked away, Noctis searched for his phone. As soon as his fingers closed around the device he pulled it close. Opening the messaging app he found two messages from an unknown number. The first was just a couple emojis that Carbuncle was fond of. The little images got a broken chuckle out of the prince as he scrubbed one hand across his eyes. The second gave him pause thought.

 

“You’re sorry ? What are you sorry for?” he asked the small being.

 

_“I’m sorry for making you do this again. I tried to talk them out of it but they wouldn’t listen.”_ was the next message.

 

“They? The Six?” Noctis frowned even as the small god nodded. “Why are they making me re-live everything? Was once not enough?”

 

_“They don’t want you to relive everything. Not really anyway. This is their attempt at giving you a second chance,”_ Carbuncle said pressing against the prince’s thigh. _“They just went about it the wrong way.”_

 

Noctis just stared at the message for a few second before looking at the dream Astral again. This was one hell of a second chance, if that’s really what this was. Admittedly he wasn’t the happiest about remembering his death. That was something he would have totally been more than happy to forget. As if sensing his thoughts Carbuncle climbed fully into the prince’s lap. Setting a hand on the small creatures head Noctis smiled as he rubbed large soft ears. They stayed like that for a few moments before something occurred to him.

 

“Wait, why are they giving me this “second chance” as you called it?” Noctis asked looking down at the Astral.

 

Carbuncle looked away for a second before a soft chime sounded, _“Honestly, I’m not even fully sure myself. I was only able to get bits and pieces out of it before they booted me. I’m sorry Noctis.”_

 

“It’s fine,” Noctis hummed gently scratching the back on he fox’s neck. “Some explanation would be nice, though I get the feeling that I still remember all of it because it’s gonna happen again.”

 

_“Probably.”_

 

“Fantastic...” Noctis sighed before moving to stand, wrapping a hand under the god as he did. “I need some air.”

 

_“Be careful, Noctis. This might be the past but not everything is the same.”_ Carbuncle messaged, looking worried.

 

“I’ll be fine. Besides,” Noctis held out a hand and with a series of blue sparks a Kingsglaive coat (Prompto’s) and a small box appeared in his hands. “It seems that I have everything that I had before with me.”

 

Slipping into the coat he pulled it tight around himself even as he slipped the small box into one of the pockets. Quickly buttoning the coat he turned to the window and slipped out on the balcony. Pulling up the hood he summoned one of his daggers. After several jumps and warps he was finally high enough that he felt comfortable stopping. Banishing the dagger he pulled out the box. He looked at it for a few moments before sighing and pulling out one of the little paper rolls. Calling fire to one of his fingers he lit the roll, sending up a cloud of aromatic smoke when he breathed out. Leaning back on one hand he looked up at the night sky.

 

“Why? Why are you doing this to me?” he asked softly the herb filled cigarette bobbing with every word.

 

Needless to say there was no answer. He wasn’t expecting one, though. Dropping back against the roof he closed his eyes. There had to be something he could do to change everything. To make it so that he didn’t have to leave all of his friends, to avoid having to loose his father and his childhood friend. As it was it seemed that he had enough time to actually figure out some kind of plan for changing what he knew was going to happen. He just needed to actually think about it.

 

Said thoughts were interrupted by the sharp cracking sound of a warp. Sitting up sharply he saw the tell-tale blue streak of a warp vanishing just around the corner from him. There was the sound of soft footsteps before a glaive rounded the corner, the one who left the trail. The glaive froze when they caught sight of him sitting there with the end of the cigarette soldering into the ground at his side. They just looked at each other for a few seconds before the other stepped forward, pushing back his hood as he did.

 

“Hey, kid. What are you doing up here? Are you new or something?” the glaive, who Noctis now recognized to be Nyx Ulric, asked curiously.

 

Noctis looked at him for a few moments before making up his mind, “Yeah, I’m new. I was just taking in the sights.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Here by popular demand (both in comments and hits) chapter 2 of "I have to do what now?" Yay! You guys just totally blew me away with all the comments and responses to most of the stuff in this series. I wasn't really expecting much but wow. You all blew my expectations away. I am also working on new chapters for several other shorts so stay tuned for that. Anyway, enjoy!

“It is a pretty impressive view from up here isn’t it?” Nyx asked as he stepped closer. “Why here though?” 

 

The new guy shrugged slowly, shifting slightly to make sure his hood stayed up, “It’s the tallest place in the city. You can see everything from up here.” 

 

Nyx just nodded and looked a little closer at the other. He must have been really new because his coat still had a bit of a shine to the fabric. Then again, he had to have some training. The only way to get up to the roof was by warping. That meant he had to at least be proficient enough to get up here without hurting himself. Rolling his shoulders he came to a stop at the new guy’s side. 

 

“Mind if I join you for a bit?” he asked, gesturing to the ground next to the other. 

 

“By all means.”

 

Nyx settled himself next to the other carefully before speaking again, “Name’s Nyx Ulric. You are?” 

 

“Noc-x. Call me Nox,” the younger man, Nox, said slowly before turning to Nyx. “I’ve heard of you, Mr. Hero.”

 

“My reputation precedes me!” the older man laughed as he leaned back on one hand. 

 

“No, Captain Drautos told me about you,” Nox smiled softly. “More specifically he told me to avoid you, actually.” 

 

Nyx just stared at him for a second before laughing. Nox joined in a moment later. They laughed for a few minutes until Nox’s phone chimed. He pulled the small device from one pocket and smiled at the screen. Rolling his shoulders he stood, collecting the box from his side and sliding both phone and box back into his pockets. Nyx watched the younger man walk carefully to the edge. 

 

“Everything alright?” he asked gently, not wanting to alarm the other. 

 

“Yeah. Everything’s alright,” Nox sighed. “I just need to head home. It’s been a long day for me.”

 

Nyx nodded before realizing that the other couldn’t see him, “Alright, just don’t forget we have training tomorrow morning at six.”

 

“Right, thanks Nyx. I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Nox asked turning to face him slightly. 

 

“Totally, Nox,” Nyx replied with a wolfish grin. 

 

Nox just smiled before pulling a dagger out of his sleeve and tossing it. A much as Nyx wanted to see where he was going he restrained himself. Besides he had other things to do than be nosy about a new recruit. Hauling himself to his feet he rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. He was still on duty so he really needed to get back and finish his patrol. There was one more stop on his route before he could pass it on to someone else so he could get some sleep. Drawing a kukri he warped quickly down to the levels that housed the royal apartments. 

 

It was easy for him to flit back and forth across the ledges and walls, checking in the windows and balconies for Six-only-knows what. When he arrived near the prince’s rooms, though, he was surprised to see the doors leading from his balcony into his bedroom was open. That was an uncommon occurrence. Right as he was about to drop onto the balcony the prince appeared The young royal stepped carefully out onto the balcony, bare feet not making sound against the cold stone. Perched as far away as he was Nyx could only see the way his shoulders sagged on a sigh as he leaned against the railing, just watching the city. Noctis stayed there for a few minutes before sighing again and heading back into his room, closing the doors behind himself. 

 

Nyx launched himself carefully across  the balcony, stopping just long enough to make sure that the prince was actually safe in his room. AFter confirming the human sized lump in the middle of the bed he took of once more. Calling in an all clear he headed back to his starting point to finally clock out and head home. It had been a long day and he was just ready to get some shut eye. 

 

-Next Day- 

 

Noctis had to haul himself out of bed at, to him, an ungodly hour the next day. He was starting to think that telling Nyx he would see him at training was a bad thing. It was way too early in the morning for all of this, at least in his humble opinion. Noctis managed to find his way to the little area where Ignis stashed his coffee maker. AFter starting a rather large pot for himself he found his phone and texted Ignis, knowing the other would probably be awake right now. Moments after the message was read the adviser was calling him. 

 

“Noct, what are you doing up so early? Is something wrong?” Ignis asked, not even letting the other speak. 

 

Noctis had to bite his cheek at the sound of his friend's voice and it took him a moment to respond, “I’m fine, Iggy. I just was a bit of a fool and made plans for six and I hate myself for it.”

 

“Plans? Noct, you don’t usually make plans for yourself. What's going on?” Ignis was now more than a little concerned with his friend. “Don’t tell me you are in trouble.”

 

“I’m not in trouble. I just... did a thing...” Noct mumbled as he made himself a large cup of coffee. 

 

“What did you do?” the sharp voice of his friend asked after a moment. 

 

Noctis took a sip of his coffee before replying, “I couldn’t sleep last night so I grabbed a jacket and headed for the roof. What I didn’t realize was that it was a Kingsglaive jacket I grabbed. While I was up there a glaive on patrol startled me and asked if I was a new recruit...”

 

Ignis sighed and the prince could just imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose, “You did  the impulsive thing and said yes, didn’t you?” 

 

The prince didn’t say anything. Ignis sighed again, interpreting the silence as a yes. They both stayed quiet for a few minutes. Noctis waw waiting for the fallout of telling his adviser he basically impersonated a glaive while Ignis was trying to figure out how Noct managed to get one of their jackets in the first place. Deciding he didn’t want to try and figure that out so early in the morning Ignis cleared his throat before speaking again. 

 

“I take it you’re up this early to go to the glaive training grounds this morning? That’s the only reason, after your explanation, that I could fathom you being awake for,” Ignis asked, exasperated. 

 

“Yep,” Noctis nodded making sure not to spill his coffee as he did. “I kinda promised the guy I was gonna be there so I kinda have to show up.”

 

“Does he know who you really are?” was the next question.

 

“No, I had the hood up and gave him a fake name when he asked,” Noctis replied hunching his shoulders slightly, waiting for a reprimand. 

 

Ignis sighed, “Get dressed, I’m on my way up with something you can eat. We will have to tell your father about this. You do know that right?” 

 

Uncurling in surprise it took the prince a moment to realize what was said, “Y-yeah... Only Dad, though. I don't really want anyone else knowing and treating me differently because I’m really the prince and not a normal glaive.” 

On the other end of the phone Ignis frowned, “Are you certain? If things go wrong and they don’t know you they could leave you behind. That would be bad, Noct.”

 

“I’ll be fine, Iggy. Trust me on this one, please?” Noct knew he was begging but he really didn’t want the glaives to treat him any differently. 

 

“Fine, your father,  _ Gladio _ and I will be the only ones who know,” Ignis conceded. 

 

Noctis didn’t protest the addition of his Shield in the list of people he was just grateful that Ignis was willing to help him keep this secret, “Thanks, Iggy. Now, I really need to get changed. See you soon?” 

 

Ignis gave an affirmative noise before they hung up.Setting his phone down Noctis just looked out the window for a few seconds before finally motivating himself to go get dressed. He was just pulling on the heavy Kingsglaive coat when Ignis walked in. Turning to his friend and adviser he held out his arms. The other man just looked at him for a moment before coming over and straightening a few things. Quickly pressing the food into his friend’s arms Ignis smiled. Noctis returned the gesture as he ate. As soon as he was finished Ignis told him just where he was going before sending him on his way. 

 

The prince arrived at the training grounds mere moments before six. Standing in the shadows just across the street he looked up at the building. Maybe this was how he could do it. Make friends with the glaive and get their help for the coming fight as opposed to finding out that some of them turned on the others to side with the empire. Taking a deep breath he pulled up his hood and headed for the door. This was either going to work out beautifully or it was going to blow up in his face so badly nothing could fix it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Chapter 3 is here and with the answer to all of those little questions! I hope you all like this one today. Next chapter is gonna have a time skip in it just to move things along a little (not a huge one just a little one). Stay tuned for more then! I'm also working on the second chapter for "Power Words" too, so stay tuned for that as well.

Stopping before the large doors the prince paused long enough to pull a pair of gloves out of his armiger. Once they were settled on his fingers he tugged his hood a little closer on his head and pushed open the door. Stepping into the building at first he was struck by what the hall looked like. It almost looked like this place hadn’t seen any kind of real repair or remodeling since it was built. Quietly he moved down the hall, suppressing a yawn as he did. He was starting to regret telling Nyx he was going to be here for training. It was waaayyy too early for him to even contemplate being conscious, even with coffee in his system. 

 

“Nox!”

 

The shout of his fake name pulled the prince out of his daze. Nyx was jogging down a connecting corridor, a lopsided smirk on his face. Noctis stopped and waved, smiling softly and still trying not to yawn. The older man paused briefly at seeing that the younger still had his hood up and full fingered gloves on. It didn’t stop him from coming closer and giving the smaller man a slap on the back. Noctis grunted sloftly but didn’t complain. 

 

“Glad you could make it, kid!” Nyx smiled as he draped his arm across Noct’s shoulders. “Though you look like your about to go back to sleep again.” 

 

Noct yawned again before replying, “Mornings don’t really agree with me. I don't know how I’m even conscious right now.” 

 

“Don’t worry about it, kid. I’m sure that once you get into the arena you’ll wake right the fuck up. Trust me on that one,” Nyx winked as he steered them toward the large open center of the building.

 

Noctis blinked in the sudden light, raising a hand to block some of it despite his hood. Nyx caught the action and shifted slightly so he was standing slightly more in front of the younger man. The prince smiled slightly at the move. By now, two other glaives were headed their way. One was wearing the uniform of a mage and had wild dark hair pulled up in a messy bun while the other was a bit on the larger size while still being agile enough to maneuver in a fight. They both called out to Nyx and the man gave them a small wave. 

 

“Nyx! There you are! The captain wants us up front to handle the new recruits,” the mage said with a smirk and a mischievous glint in her dark eyes.  

 

“Good thing I found him then,” Nyx grinned. “Nox, these are my two best friends, Crowe Altius and Libertus Ostium.” 

 

Noctis new the names, remembered meeting Libertus on Angelguard and remembered hearing about Crowe. He smiled and waved at the pair. It was good to see them and properly meet them both. Libertus just nodded at him while Crowe gave him an odd look. 

 

“Something wrong?” he asked mirroring her look. 

 

“Not really,” she said before crossing her arms. “I was just wondering why you’re wearing your hood and full gloves. This is just training.” 

 

“Oh...” Noct fidgeted for a moment before an idea hit him. “I... I’ve got a weird and rare skin condition. I burn, badly, in just about any kind of light. No clue as to why though.” 

 

The three of them just stared at him before Libertus spoke up, “That is really weird. Are you sure it's even a real condition?” 

 

Noctis didn’t say anything, he just pulled off one of his gloves. Pulling lightly on his fire magic he pushed it beneath the skin and muscle of his hand. Immediately the skin on the back of his hand started turning red. He hissed softly as he flexed his fingers, the fake burn actually starting the hurt. Crowe was quick to jump forward at that and pull his glove back on before casting a healing spell. Giving the woman a smile he cradled the formerly burnt hand for a moment before turning back to Libertus. The glaive was looking at the ground, clearly a little  upset. 

 

“Libs, seriously?! He tells you he has a bad skin condition and you want him to show it off? Are you out of your mind?” Crowe hissed as she turned back to the other man. 

 

“It’s fine, really,” Noct was quick to jump in to try and redirect the woman’s ire. “I’m fine besides I have a know not many people would believe me on my word alone.” 

 

All three glaives just looked at him and he shrugged. Noctis new he was taking a big risk in faking the skin condition but it was literally the first thing that came to mind to explain his constant wearing of the hood and gloves. There had been no time to discuss a plan with Ignis on how to keep his identity a secret. This spur of the moment decision was the only thing he had. Now he just had to get Ignis to add the condition to his glaive personnel file. Carefully he pulled his phone out, looking at it long enough to make the others think he got a message from someone before sending his own. Tucking the device back in his pocket and as he looked up he spotted Drautos giving them a look.

 

“Should we get moving or something? The Captain doesn’t look too happy right now,” he said gesturing at the man in question. 

 

Swearing softly Nyx gently grabbed a hold of Noctis’s shoulder and steered him toward the rest of the new recruits. Shaking his head the prince allowed himself to be lead around. Right before he was gently pushed into line with the others his phone buzzed. Pulling it out he smiled at the message on the screen. 

 

_ “It’s all taken care of, Noct. Take care of yourself and try not to hurt yourself with this charade. Also, good luck.” - _ Ignis. 

 

Smiling the prince slipped the device back into his pocket. Taking a deep breath he mimicked the stances of the people on either side of him. Nyx shot him a grin even as he stepped in front of the ground, Crowe and Libertus on either side of him. Right before he started speaking Noct reminded himself to dial back on everything, at least for a little while anyway. It simply wouldn’t do to give himself away just for the thrill of showing up Lucis’s best warriors. 

 

-Nyx POV-

 

Watching Nox get settled in with the other new recruits I grinned. It was a tiny bit funny to see him with the others. He was the only one who actually looking like he was ready for training despite still probably being half asleep. Settling into an easy parade rest I felt Crowe and Libertus step up beside me. Time to get this show on the road, especially if I didn’t want the captain on my ass. 

 

“Good morning, recruits! Nice of you all to join us today,” I said with a smirk. “Now, this week is gonna be nothing but basics. We’ll get to magic and warping after that. This week is just to make sure that you can handle yourselves on the ground. Also this is time for you to get to know your fellow noobs and the vets like us. I’ll start. Name’s Nyx Ulric, though I’m sure you all know that already. Now I’m gonna point around the circle and you’re gonna say your names and something about yourselves. Let’s start with you.” 

 

The first recruit spoke up quickly, slightly louder than necessary and with a slight stutter. Just nervous with this being the first day and all. Crowe snorted quietly at my side and I elbowed her slightly. She kicked at me heel in retaliation. Rolling my eyes I decided to make her go next. The death glare I got from her was worth getting the noobs to relax a little. Once the introductions were out of the way I separated the recruits into groups and sent one with Libertus and another with Crowe. I took charge of the last group. We ended up taking over the whole ground level of the training yard, there were so many of us. 

 

Shaking my head and turning my attention back to my group I saw Nox’s hooded head near the back. I had meant to put him with Crowe but apparently I put him in my group. Too late to send him over now though. Waving a hand I asked them all to spread out so they all could see me. They did so nervously, almost like they were expecting my to reach out and bite them or something. Rolling my eyes I propped my hands on my hips. 

 

“Get in close, you weirdos. I’m not gonna bite anyone,” I drawl leaning back on my heels slightly. “Besides you need to be closer to see what I’m gonna show you.” 

 

They gradually crowd a little closer, with Nox stepping in first. I shoot the kid a look as the others follow his lead. Once everyone is settled I grin. Time to get this show on the road.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally not dead people! I've just been stupid busy with NaNoWriMo but you should bee seeing several pieces getting updated this next week or so. Stay tuned for that.

After putting the recruits through their paces for a week it was more or less apparent who was suited for being a standard Glaive and who would probably be better off as a mage. Not many fell into the probable mage category, Nyx was almost sad to see them in the mages uniform. Oh, well. They needed the firepower anyway they could get it. He was more than a little surprised to see that Nox seemed to flit between the mages and the rest of the Glaive. The young man was a demon with a pair of daggers. He was a much a natural at this as Nyx was when he started. 

 

They had been practicing aim on the fourth day when there had been a shout. Nyx had at first assumed that someone had gotten injured and bolted. By the time he got there Nox was rolling slowly to his feet in front of his target, almost thirty feet from where he was supposed to be. He stood there looking around like a lost duckling. The older man knew the younger could warp but he decided to play it off as an accidental warp because everyone was staring at Nox with bewildered expressions. They had no idea he could warp already and Nox was clearly trying to keep it under wraps. Nyx had just waited for a moment before letting out a whoop and warping over himself. The younger man flinched back from the sudden appearance but couldn’t escape the bear hug he soon found himself a part of. 

 

“Dude! That was incredible! You just warped! Without any training! Amazing!” Nyx crowed holding the younger man at arms length, a huge smile on his face. 

 

Nox had just stared at him for a few seconds before finding his voice, “Th-that’s what that was? That was warping?”

 

“It sure was! You’re a natural at all of this, if you’re warping by accident right now,” Nyx grinned widely at the younger man. 

 

There was a bemused smile on Nox’s face as he turned back to the others, talking about the uses and values of warping. Everyone had watched the glaive with rapt attention. Nyx was hard to look away from when he was animated about a subject. Talking about something he enjoyed seemed to make him just light up. Nox was just like everyone else. He watched the other man as he happily yammered on and on about just how much people could enjoy or hate warping. Libertus snorted at the hating warping comment. A low ripple of laughter had spread out from the group as stories were shared. 

 

A high chiming sound drew the young man’s attention away from Nyx as he talked about what was next for everyone. Discreetly pulling out his phone he saw a text from Ignis. Frowning he glanced up at the senior glaives. They were all focused on the recruits but Noctis could see that they weren’t giving them undivided attention. Carefully he looked down at his phone, aware that his hood covered where he was looking but not wanting to get in trouble. 

 

_ Noct, I know this is probably a bad time, what with this being the day you divide out into units but there is a council meeting you really should attend. If you can find a way out sooner rather than later I will meet you down the street. Message me when you are out - _ Ignis. 

 

Swearing softly Noctis looked back up. Shoving the phone back in his pocket he fidgeted uncomfortably. This was gonna be hard to get out of. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly he tapped the toe of one boot in thought. He wasn’t thinking long before a slender hand dropped onto his shoulder. Starling and looking to his right he saw Crowe standing there, a concerned look on his face. 

 

“Something wrong, Nox?” she asked softly. 

 

“Maybe? I’m not sure...” he mumbled back still trying to think of a way out gracefully. 

 

“You’re not sure? How can you not be sure about something being wrong?” the brunette tilted her head to the side a bit in askance. 

 

Noctis shrugged before an idea hit him, “I just got a vague text message from my brother about something. He’s never really one to be vague about anything, so I’m worried.”

 

“He’s one of those “I’ll beat you over the head with my bluntness” types, eh?” the woman chuckled as she slid her arm across his shoulders. “Libertus can be like that sometimes. Look, if you’re that worried about your friend I can cover for you. You just need to come find me when everything is taken care of to get your unit assignment. Sound good?” 

 

Noctis just stared at her, mouth a gape, before nodding quickly. Crowe smiled and patted his shoulder before pushing him behind her.  She shifted into his place and started chatting amiably with the junior glaive Noct had been standing next to. Noctis shook his head slightly and slipped out of the crowd. Thankfully no one tried to stop him as he made his way toward the front of the glaive’s training hall. Pulling out his phone again he texted Ignis to meet him a block and a half away. Once outside and far enough away he slipped into the shadow of a building to banish the coat and broke into a light jog. Ignis was waiting for him at the right point, looking down at his phone as he waited. 

 

“Iggy!” Noct called out as he got closer. 

 

Ignis looked up and smiled at his friend, “Good to see you, Noct. I’m glad you were able to find a way out of there early.”

 

“Yeah, well, I have to find Crowe after this meeting is over to get my assignment,” Noctis shrugged as he slid into the back seat of the car. 

 

“I would imagine there might be a mite more she might ask for since she helped you out,” Ignis sighed as he dropped behind the wheel.  

 

Noctis shrugged before changing into the suit his adviser had brought for him. As they drove Ignis filled the prince in on exactly what this meeting was about.  Noctis frowned slightly. The council was actually going to discuss the Crown’s funding of the Kingsglaive today. He hadn’t really thought that was all that big of an issue, then he remembered. Most of the citizens of Insomnia weren’t huge fans of the Glaive simply because it was made of predominantly immigrants from former Lucian territories.  

 

“This one is going to be a dozy, isn’t it?” Noctis asked slowly as he straightened his suit coat. 

 

“Probably,” Ignis replied softly a small frown on his face. “I have done a bit of research into all of this and found a few rather... uncomfortable details...” 

 

Noctis's eyes focused immediately on the adviser’s head, “What details?”  

 

“Just some information about the gear the Glaive has been using and its possible connection to why so many glaives have fallen to the Empire recently. It's all conjecture on my part but I’ll pass it all along to you to check out,” Ignis replied gesturing to a folder in the passenger seat as he did. 

 

“Please do,” the prince murmured as he looked out the window. “I have a bad feeling about this one...”

 

By the time they arrived at the Citadel Noctis was more than a little upset with what he now knew about the Glaive. Someone seemed to have been making false reports about equipment and gear. While he didn’t have any real proof, yet he had a feeling that if he asked he might be able to get some clues about what was going on. Carefully tucking the folder under his arm he headed for the council room. Regis was outside the door, having just arrived himself. 

 

“Noctis, it’s good to see you son,” he smiled at his son as the prince came up beside him. 

 

“IT’s good to see you too, Dad,” Noctis smiled back. “This is going to be ugly isn’t it?”

 

Regis nodded  slowly, “I take it Ignis filled you in on our suspicions?”  

 

“He did, though he didn’t mention that you shared his thoughts,” the younger royal replied slowly. 

 

“I would imagine not, I’ve just started feeling that not all was right with the Glaive myself. Things are not going well for them at all,” the king replied bowing his head slightly. 

 

Noctis glance at his father carefully, “Is the recent interest because I’ve joined them now?”

 

“I say recent but it is not actually recent. I’ve been concerned for a long while. I have always been concerned about them but the Council has not approved of my favoring them over the Guard,” Regis grimaced briefly before smoothing his face out once again. “They think the Glaive to be a bunch of uncivilized hooligans. It does not help that none of the glaives are from Insomnia proper. They think it improper to have the most powerful defense of our nation being made up of immigrants.”

 

That had Noctis turning to his father slowly, “So do you think the quality of their gear is  _ because  _ they are immigrants rather than Insomnian citizens?”

 

“That is a possibility, yes,” Regis nodded, looking carefully at his son. “We should not keep them waiting any longer though. Shall we?” 

 

Noctis just smiled and waved for his father to head in first. After squaring his shoulders the king did just that. Shaking his head Noctis followed his father into the room, the doors closing  silently behind him. Now it was time to figure out if their suspicions were unfounded or not. 

 

Two hours later and one massive migraine Noctis was convinced that someone was purposely sabotaging the Glaive. The only problem was it wasn’t someone on the Council, that much he was certain of. Both he and his father had grilled the councilors about the Glaive, but they were all convinced that the Glavie had more than adequate funding and gear. Rubbing at his temples Noctis groaned softly. They spent a good bit of the meeting going back and forth and round in circles all on the same topic. If he was being entirely honest with himself he would have very much liked to blurt out that he was actually seeing the Glaive in their “adequate” gear. He’d actually watched one of the senior glaives pick up a leather harness and have a couple buckles fall off of it. There was no way in all of Eos that their gear was in any way adequate.

 

“Noct?” Ignis’s voice had blue eyes opening slowly, totally unaware of when he close them. 

 

“Sorry, I’m kinda developing a migraine and a strong desire to kill something here. What’s up Iggy?” Noctis asked still rubbing at his temples.   

 

“I was just going to ask if you wanted me to take you back to the Glaive training grounds. They should all still be there by now,” Ignis replied with a chuckle.

 

Noctis sighed through his nose before nodding slowly, “I should go back long enough to get my unit assignment. Just stay close, though please. I don’t have the mental patience for more training today.” 

 

Ignis just nodded and moved off to collect a car. By the time they made it back to the Kingsglaive compound. Noct’s migraine had subsided a bit. He was still rubbing at his temples as he stepped out of the car. Moving into a nearby alley he changed quickly back into his glaive uniform. The prince then walked slowly into the building, still rubbing at the side of his head. He didn’t get very far before Nyx came running up to him, looking concerned. 

 

“Nox, is everything alright?” he asked coming up next to the hooded young man. “Crowe said that you left because of a family emergency.”

 

Noctis blinked slowly, the remains of his migraine making it hard to focus, “I’m fine. It wasn’t really an emergency, it was just him being weird. He was being really vague and that was making me nervous. Sorry.”   


 

Nyx just smiled before clapping hand to the shorter man’s shoulder, “Well, at least it wasn’t anything major. That’s a good thing, right?” 

 

Noctis  just smiled before remembering the other man couldn’t see it. Nodding he told Nyx he was looking for his unit assignment. The other man grinned widely at the prince before slinging his arm across the smaller’s shoulders. Apparently Noctis had been assigned to flip flop between the mages and the rest of the Glaive so he didn’t actually get a unit. He could mesh well with any unit that needed his help. It was an unusual situation so they decided to make the best of it. 

 

“Thanks for telling me, Nyx,” the prince smiled up at the older man. “Unfortunately I can’t stay. My brother gave me a bit of a migraine with the vagueness, I really can’t handle training today. Sorry.” 

 

“It’s cool, we’re done for the day anyway. In fact, Crowe, Libs and I were gonna head down into the Galahdian district to get drinks. Want to join us?” 

 

Noctis bit his lip and looked down, “I don’t think I should. I’m not going to be much fun to be around what with the migraine and all. As it is I’m having a hard time focusing on you and you’re standing right here.” 

 

“You don’t have to drink, we were planning on getting food too. Food fixes everything,” Nyx grinned before looking to the side. “Or so Libertus tells me.”

 

Noctis opened his mouth to refuse before his stomach interjected loudly. Flushing and looking to the side he wrapped an arm around his growling stomach even as the older man laughed. Nyx shook his head and promised to treat the younger this time, what with springing the whole thing on him. Not having any other good excuses to get out of it the prince agreed. Whooping Nyx asked him to stay put while he went to get Libertus and Crowe. Shaking his head Noctis pulled out his phone, pushing the buttons to call Ignis. 

 

“Noct? Is everything alright?” the adviser asked the moment he picked up the phone.

 

“Everything is fine, Iggy, I’ve just been shanghaied into going to get food with Nyx and a couple other glaives,” Noctis smiled at the older man’s back before he vanished around a corner. “I was trying to  get out of it when my stomach growled. I’m just now remembering that I haven’t really eaten anything since breakfast this morning.”

 

“Well, it is going on lunch time... Are you alright with going out with them? I would assume they are headed for the Immigrant Districts,” Ignis murmured, sounding worried for his friend. 

 

“I’ll be fine, Iggy. I can handle myself,” Noctis smiled despite knowing that the other couldn’t see it. “Besides I want to see what the Immigrant Districts are really like. This might prove to be a good opportunity.” 

 

“Just be careful, call if you need anything. Understand?” Ignis was in full mother hen mode right then and there. 

 

Noctis couldn’t help but laugh and agree before having to hang up. No sooner had he put the phone back in his pocket that the three glaives came around the corner. Nyx threw his arm around the smaller man’s neck when they got closer, shamelessly dragging the younger with them. Noctis gave a token protest at the manhandling but smiled anyway. Hopefully this would be a good time to properly get to know the three glaives who played a major role in what happened last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go you starving dogs! I'm just kidding! You guys make writing this stuff all worth it. I hope you all like this chapter and I'm sorry if it's not long enough. I was trying to add stuff too it but the guys just didn't want to cooperate. I'm working on chapter 6 but there are no promises on the release date for it yet. Just stay tuned!

Lunch was a noisy affair, if you could call it that. Nyx and Libertus wasted no time in ordering heaps of food from the shop owner,  who seemed to know them personally, while Crowe disappeared to find drinks. Noctis was settled at a table in the middle of the chaos. Chaos it surely was. There were people all over the place, yelling and shouting with loud music blaring seemingly from everywhere. It was nothing like he’d ever experienced. 

 

Ducking his head sharply as a person with a tray laden with food came close behind him he just pulled his hood a little father over his face. The food that passed him smelled amazing but he could almost feel his eyes burning at the spices he was smelling. This was surely going to be a day to remember. A hand slapped him on the back hard enough to jostle him against the table and he looked around. Nyx stood there, grinning like a madman, with a large tray above his head. 

 

“I really hope you’re hungry, Nox,” he laughed as he maneuvered the tray around. “Libertus and I might have gone a bit overboard with the food. You do like Galahdian, right?” 

 

“I’ve never actually had it, so this is going to be interesting,” Noctis smiled back with a shrug, knowing it was hard to see his face in the dim lighting with his hood pulled so low over his face. 

 

Nyx just stared at him for a few seconds before finally moving to set everything down. IF the amount of food currently being settled on the table was only about half of tonight's offerings Noctis wondered just what would happen to the table itself when the rest of the food arrived. Sure Nyx handled the tray like a total pro and the table seemed sturdy enough, but who could really say anything for sure. He was sure that when Libertus arrived with his own selection of food the table was going to give way beneath the food. 

 

“Seriously? This is going to be interesting then,” he grinned dropping an empty plate in front of the other. “Though, if you don’t mind my asking, where are you from? Most of the Glaive is from Galahad. So I’m curious.” 

 

“Cavaugh, actually,” Noctis was quick to say, mentally apologizing to Ignis for having to make another change to his personnel file. “Different kinds of food and very different flavors. I am looking forward to this though.” 

 

Nyx just grinned at him as he plopped down in the chair next to him, “I guess it is a good thing we went overboard. Now, you’re gonna see a lot of repeat items. That’s because some have been dumbed down for Lucian tastes while the others are more traditional Galahdian. I’m not gonna tell you which is which until you try it, deal?” 

 

“Deal,” Noctis nodded quickly before getting distracted by the arrival of both Libertus and Crowe. 

 

Nyx flashed him a down right feral grin before rattling something off to the other two in Galahdian. Whatever he said earned him equally feral grins from the other two, before Crowe pushed a bottle his direction.Gloved fingers wrapped slowly around the bottle as he nodded at the woman. Idly wondering if it was alcoholic or not he finally decided that he couldn’t care less really. Giving an internal shrug he said to hell with it and took a drink. Coughing at the burn he set the bottle back down a little harder than he meant to, earning laughs from the three glaives. 

 

“You OK there, Nox?” Libertus asked, reaching across the table to pat the other’s shoulder. 

 

Noctis coughed again before nodding quickly, “Yep, just wasn’t expecting it to taste so bad.”

 

“It grows on you. Come on, dig in,” Crowe smiled before kicking back some of her own drink. “These idiots got way too much food. Someone must be showing off.” 

 

“What can I say?” Nyx shrugged before taking a swing of his own drink. “He's never had Galahdian before. Gotta show the kid what he's missing.”   

 

“Right...” Crowe murmured before turning her attention back to the other man. “So, everything cool with your brother? You seemed really worried earlier.”

 

Noctis nodded slowly even as he watched Nyx plie a plate with several servings of food, “Yeah, he was just being weird. Like I said earlier he’s not one to be vague and that makes me nervous. Everything worked out alright though.” 

 

Crowe nodded but didn’t say a word. For a moment Noctis wondered If he’d somehow done something he shouldn’t have but when he looked up he smiled. The woman was fully engrossed in her lunch. Rolling his eyes a bit the prince decided it was time to dig into his own food. He hadn't been lying when he said he’d never had Galahdian food before. This should prove to be interesting. 

 

-Nyx POV-

 

Watching Nox shift his hood lower on his face so he could eat earned a soft chuckle from Nyx. Thankfully the noise of the district covered up the sound. He wasn’t quite sure just how he was going to explain laughing at the younger’s normal routine. Watching the younger man pick around the dishes he’d been given had Nyx rolling his eyes. Of course this kid was apparently a picky eater! This was going to make feeding him even more interesting than it should have been. 

 

_ “Hey, Nyx?”  _ Libertus’s voice pulled his attention from the younger man to his best friend. 

 

It took the ashen haired man a moment to realise his friend was speaking in their native language before he was able to respond,  _ “What’s up Libs? Something on your mind?” _

 

_ “Yeah, just worrying about the kid. He seems a little off,”  _ Libertus replied slowly eyes going in between Nox and his best friend. 

 

_ “He said that his brother gave him a bit of a migraine with his vagueness earlier. IT might still be bothering him,”  _ Nyx murmured back before rubbing at the back of his neck.  _ “Maybe I shouldn't have badgered him into joining us. He was planning on going home after getting his unit assignment. I should have let him.”  _

 

_ “Let him go back and deal with the guy who gave him the migraine in the first place? Are  you out of your bloody mind?” _ Libertus hissed looking over at the younger Glaive as he picked through his plate.  _ “It will do him plenty good to be out here with us. We probably could have picked a quieter spot, but what’s past is past.” _

 

Nyx looked over at Nox and watched the kid rub at his temples for a moment before picking up his drink. It probably would have been better to pick somewhere quieter. As it was they were in the quietest spot in this particular restaurant, perhaps the whole district even. Looking back over at his best friend he could see the same thought running through the larger man’s mind. The only way they would have been able to get a quieter spot would have been to eat outside the district. Nyx was about to say something when Nox spoke up. 

 

“Hey, Nyx?” the younger man had his head tilted to the side as he fingered his glass. 

 

“What’s up kid?” Nyx asked back, barely remembering to change back to Lucian before he spoke. 

 

Nox made a disgruntled sound, “First, don’t call me kid. Second, I don’t think the alcohol is doing me any good. I think my migraine is getting worse...”

 

Swearing the older man realized what the younger was saying. Standing quickly he waved quickly at Yamma before elbowing Libertus lightly. Crowe was already on her feet, gathering the empty dishes and snagging the empty bottles. Libertus came back with several plastic containers and packed up the food while Nyx carefully pulled the younger man to his feet. Nox was rubbing at the side of his head slowly with one shaking hand. Clearly he had been getting worse the longer they sat there. How he, Libertus and Crowe didn’t notice was beyond him. 

 

“Stay with me, Nox. Just keep your head down and close your eyes,” Nyx murmured slowly, looking at the smaller man just long enough to catch his slight nod before leading him out of the shop. 

 

Libertus and Crowe brought up the rear of their odd little group. Both waved at Yamma before following the other two out. Once away from the shop everything just got louder. Glancing down at the younger glaive Nyx chewed on the inside of his cheek before looking back at the other two. 

 

“Hey! Let’s head for my place. It’s near the top of the district,” he said wincing at how loud he had to be to make sure they heard him. 

 

Both just nodded and the group carefully picked up the pace. Nox didn’t make a sound the whole time they walked. Nyx would have been afraid that they’d lost him if not for the younger man’s death grip on his arm. Murmuring softly, not aware that he wasn’t speaking Lucian, he tried to keep the younger’s flagging attention focused on him. Thankfully it didn’t take them too much longer to reach Nyx’s apartment. 

 

Once Crowe shut the door behind them Nyx was carefully ushering the smaller man into the beat-up arm chair in the middle of the room. Nox didn’t make a sound as he sank into the worn fabric. Still mumbling in Galahdian Nyx grabbed the quilt off his bed and draped it around the younger man. Crowe and Libertus had vanished into the small kitchen, leaving the pair alone in the main room.  

 

_ “Still with me kid?”  _ Nyx asked crouching down in front of the chair and pulling the quilt close around the other man. 

 

Nox snorted softly before looking up at him, blue eyes barely visible within the darkness of his hood, “You realize I can’t understand you right?” 

 

Swearing Nyx mentally ran back over the last few minutes and realized he had been speaking in his mother tongue, “I am so sorry. I had no idea...”

 

“It’s fine, calm down,” Nox said softly, amusement clear in his voice. “What did you say a second ago?” 

 

“I just asked if you were still with me. By the fact that you responded even though you couldn’t understand I’m gonna say you are,” Nyx smiled settling his hands on the younger man’s knees. 

 

Nox snorted only to grimace a few seconds later. Nyx made a move to ask either Crowe or Libertus to bring him a pain pill only to have two and a bottle of water appear in front of his face. Blinking slowly at the items he took them carefully before smiling at his best friend. Libertus made a few hand signs telling Nyx that he and Crowe were leaving. Smiling at the duo he handed over the painkillers and the water which Nox downed gratefully. Nyx patted his knee for a moment before standing and moving to the one window in the apartment. Carefully pulling the shade he put the room in a mostly dark state. Some light still seeped in from around the shade but it was less than when it was open. Turning back to Nox he found that the younger man was sound asleep, wrapped as tightly as he could get in the quilt. 

 

Smirking he shook his head, “Sleep tight kid. I get the feeling you’re gonna need it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey party people! Holy cheese, do you guys stalk my works or something? Goodness gravy!   
> Anyway, here's the next part of this. Hope you guys like it and stay tuned to the rest of my stuff!

After waking up in Nyx’s apartment with his head feeling a hell of a lot better but with his body protesting the way he’d been sleeping. Groaning softly Noctis stretched out his numb legs. He knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble for not managing to make it back to the Citadel so he was dreading checking his phone. Raising a hand to his head he checked to see if his hood was still up and was more than a little surprised to find that it was. Before the had too much of a chance to ponder that Nyx's voice from behind him startled him. 

 

“Morning, sleepy head,” the older man laughed amidst the sound of clinking kitchenware. “You almost lost your hood while you were asleep but you had your face buried in the quilt so I think you managed to escape getting burnt. I did pull it up the rest of the way when I came through this morning, if that's what you're wondering.” 

 

“Thanks, I totally had no time to think before I passed out,” Noctis said slowly, shifting in the chair so he could dig his phone out of his pocket. 

 

“I'm surprised that thing didn't wake you up this morning,” Nyx said as he walked into the living area with two plates of breakfast food. “It's been buzzing in your pocket for about an hour now.” 

 

Swearing colorfully Noctis pulled his phone from his pocket. There were at least six missed calls: four from Ignis, one from Gladio and one from his father. Along with the phone calls (and their accompanying voice mails) there were also at least twenty text messages. Again the majority were from Ignis, but it was the couple that were from his father that had him groaning and rubbing  at his temples. 

 

“Everything OK?” Nyx asked as he pushed a full mug of coffee over to the younger man. 

 

“I’m probably in serious trouble for not saying anything to anyone before I passed out,” Noctis mumbled as he carefully took a sip of the hot drink. “I was only supposed to be gone for lunch and yet here we are the next day. Most of these messages are from my brother but a few are from our dad so... This is going to be a great day...”

 

Nyx chuckled before scratching the back of his head, “Then I probably shouldn’t make it worse by saying that we have a mission coming up in a couple days, and by a couple days I mean like tomorrow, should I?”

 

Noctis groaned and buried his face in his hands, just barely remembering to both put down his coffee and grab his hood as he tilted backwards. Nyx just laughed and shook his head before digging into his food. Scratching at his head sharply Noctis accessed the voicemail of his phone. Skipping over the messages of Ignis asking where in the world he was and saying that if he didn’t hear from him by 9 o’clock he was going to send out a search party he dove into the messages from his father. The first was informing him of a few changes that he had managed to clear with the Council regarding the Glaive while the seconds had him rubbing at his temples. Apparently Ignis had gotten worried enough to contact Regis to tell him that his son never made it back to his rooms last night. This phone call was the only warning he was going to get before his father decided to send out a search party for him. Groaning again Noctis dropped the phone into his lap and pinched the bridge of his nose. Nyx looked at him for a moment before heading back into the kitchen. The prince suppressed a smile as he picked up the phone and called his father. 

 

The king answered on the first ring, “Where are you?” 

 

“Good morning, Dad. It’s nice to hear your voice,” Noctis sighed, rubbing at his temples under his hood. 

 

“Noctis...” Regis began before Noctis cut him off gently. 

 

“Dad, I’m with Nyx Ulric in the immigrant district. I had a bad migraine after yesterday but he and his friend convinced me to go to lunch with them. Unfortunately I didn’t think about how loud it was really going to be down here while I had a migraine. It got worse while we were eating,” Noctis sighed slowly as he picked up his coffee again and took a sip. “We headed back to his apartment where I took some headache meds and apparently fell asleep. You know I sleep like the dead. So I know he might have tried to wake me, but that’s like trying to make a rock roll up a hill. It doesn’t work.”  

 

Regis was quiet for a few moments before the prince heard him sigh softly, “Alright, but next time...”

 

“Next time I’ll message you before I pass out, sound good?” Noctis asked carefully. 

 

“Indeed. Now, give Ignis a call. He is just as worried as I was,” the king said, a smile evident in his voice. “That I am sure of, otherwise he would not have called me last night.”

 

Noctis couldn’t say anything else before his father hung up. He knew he was more than a little in trouble but as he pressed the phone into the space between his eyes he hoped that he could alleviate some of it with a few phone calls. Nyx poked his head out from the kitchen and caught the other’s eye. The shorter man waved his phone again to indicate that he had to make another call. With a smile Nyx ducked back into the kitchen, leaving the prince alone again once more. 

 

Taking a deep breath he punched in Ignis’s number. The advizer answered on the first ring. Ignis almost didn’t let him explain things until he finally mentioned that he had already called his father that morning. After hearing that the tawny haired main let the prince explain. 

 

When Noctis was finished Ignis sighed before speaking, “I do wish you had said something about the migraine sooner... Next time you need to call me before you seem to vanish off the grid.”

 

“Will do, you can count on that. I promised dad the same thing,” Noctis smiled as he finished his coffee. 

 

“Good,” Ignis huffed and the prince could hear the shuffling of papers. “Has he already informed you of an upcoming assignment?” 

 

“Yep, this should be interesting...” the royal mumbled pinching the bridge of his nose. 

 

“Indeed. I hope you are ready for this, Noct,” Ignis murmured, actually sounding worried.

 

“I’m more than ready for this. It’s just... you know...” Noctis said slowly as he reached for the plate of food Nyx had brought him. 

 

“Right, well I trust that you will be making your way back some time today yes?” Ignis said sounding like he was back to his usual self. “With that being the case I will see you when you get here. Be careful out there.”

 

Noctis smiled softly before saying good bye and hanging up. Finally allowed to dig into his food he let out a please hum over what he was eating. It wasn’t often that he got a simple breakfast like this. Ignis had a tendency to overthink things, especially when it came to food. Something as simple as bacon and eggs was such a rarity that when he did have it it seemed to taste better than it really had any right to. 

 

“Good?” Nyx’s voice startled him briefly, causing him to jump a bit. 

 

Swallowing thickly Noctis nodded slowly, “Yeah, sorry.” 

 

“It’s all good, Nox. You just looked like you were gonna need a minute with your food,” the older man smiled. 

 

“No, it’s just that my brother likes to cook and he doesn’t like to make the simple stuff. Even breakfast has to be something fancy,” Noctis mumbled scratching at the back of his head a bit. 

 

Nyx just laughed and shook his head, smiling, “Is there somewhere you have to be after you finish eating? Or do you have time to hang out?” 

 

“I should probably head back home. My brother, despite the fact that I called him, is still really worried so I really should go see him before he freaks out even farther,” Noctis said as he finished his food. 

 

The older man hummed softly and nodded. After cleaning up after breakfast the pair left the apartment. Deciding he should probably make sure the kid at least mad it to the right part of the district Nyx walked him all the way to the Cavaugh area of the immigrant district. At the start of the section the two parted ways. 

 

Noctis stayed where he was until Nyx disappeared into the crowd. When he finally lost sight of the man he let out a sigh. He hadn’t really expected the other to actually walk him all the way to the area where his fictitious identity would be living. Now he had to make his way out of the district and back to the Citadel. Shaking his head slowly the prince started heading in the other direction, back into the heart of the city. 

 

-The Next Day-

 

Lining up with the rest of the glaives the next morning had Noctis wishing that he’d never said he was a new glaive. He was bone tired and there was almost no chance of him getting any more coffee before they shipped out. That mean there was almost a 100% chance that he was probably going to end up falling asleep in the truck. Suppressing a yawn he gave himself a shake as Drautos stepped forward to address the group.  

 

“Alright, as most of you know this is a  _ stealth  _ mission. The objective of this assignment is to get in, get the information, and get the hell out. Do not draw attention to yourself and avoid contact with the enemy,” the man began, immediately setting the prince’s teeth on edge. “Therefor I know most of you are wondering why a junior has been selected to join this mission.”

 

Without even looking at the others Noctis could feel the rest of the team’s eyes on him. He was honestly wondering the same thing. The fact that they were even going to put a junior on a stealth mission. Noctis grit his teeth at the look he was getting from the captain. HE had a bad feeling that his father had a hand in getting him on this assignment. 

 

“Apparently, His Majesty takes an interest in our recruits. He got a hold of the files on our recruits and requested that the next mission that had an available spot that the spot be filled by a junior. Here’s hoping he’s as good as His Majesty seems to think he is,” Drautos said, the derision and disdain clear in his voice.  

 

“Don’t stress over this, Nox,” Libertus whispered when the captain turned away to give out more directions. 

 

“Yeah, he’s just testy because His Majesty seems to finally be getting involved,” Crowe murmured from his other side. “He is actually also worried because you haven't been combat tested yet. Noobs have been sent out on missions like this that were supposed to be cake walks but then something went wrong and they never came back. He’s just worried.”

 

“It doesn’t sound like he’s worried. It sounds like he would rather I drop dead right here and now,” Noctis hissed back, glancing between the woman and the man prowling in front of them. 

 

Crowe didn’t get a chance to respond before Drautos was telling them to gear up and head out. Calling out a salute the group dispersed to get their gear. Noctis knew he didn’t really have any gear so they were going to have to cobble something together for him. That made him just a little nervous especially because he knew that most of the glaive’s gear was not in the best of shape. Sure, he had plenty of gear in his Armiger, but pulling something from it was going to more than likely give him away. That wasn’t something he was willing to risk. 

 

“Nox! Come here, you brat!” Crowe’s voice snapped him out of his head and had him looking at the mage. 

 

She was holding up two different pieces of armor, comparing them. Walking over Noctis found first one and then the other being held up against his chest. Shaking her head she discarded both only to pull a third from the chest next to her. Leaning over slightly Noctis saw several armor sets that seemed to be in better condition than the rest of the glaive’s gear. 

 

“What’s with all of this right here?” he asked waving at the chest. 

 

“This is gear for the mages. We don’t see close combat so much so our gear isn’t nearly in as bad a shape as the rest,” Crowe explained as she shook her head again and pulled another piece of armor out of the chest. “Sorry, I’m just trying to find something that will suit you. I don’t seem to be having much luck.” 

 

“How about something that allows for good mobility but is still durable enough to take a few hits if I have to stop and cast a spell? I can float between the mages and the rest of the glaive right?” Noctis said, remembering what Nyx told him about why he wasn’t assigned to a unit. “It doesn’t have to be all that bulky because if I get into a fight, not that I will, I will probably be relying on my skill with a blade rather than my skill with spells.”

 

Crowe nodded slowly before she snapped and all but warped across the room. Noctis just shook his head and leaned against the chest. The mage was flitting around the room, liberating pieces of armor here and there from the other glaives. She even got into an argument with one of the others about a piece of armor. 

 

“You’ve done it now,” Libertus said as he came up beside Noctis. 

 

“Done what? All I did was tell her that I really didn’t need something bulky like the mages tend to use. That’s all I said,” Noctis defended holding his hands up. 

 

“Even so, she’s on the warpath now. You might get away with something simple, or she’s gonna come at you with some strange amalgamation of armor that you need help getting into and out of,” Libertus huffed, a faint smile on his face. “Good luck with it.” 

 

Noctis just stared at him for a few seconds before glancing back at Crowe. The woman was finally making her way back to the hooded royal, several different armor pieces in her hands. She dropped the whole arm load on the table next to the young man before turning to him with a smile. Noctis shifted uneasily for a few seconds before stepping closer to her. 

 

“Let’s see how this all works out for you, shall we?” she said, still grinning like the mad woman she was. 

 

“Oh dear Six... What have I gotten myself into?” Noctis thought as the woman came at him with the armor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cheese! Two updates in two days?! What in the world? Anyway, you guys must be stalking this, I swear! IT makes me really happy though. :) Alright, here for your reading pleasure, the stealth mission. It's a long one, so strap in and brace yourselves.

They had finally settled on a few bits of shoulder and chest armor as well as some gauntlets that would allow him to both wield a dagger and cat a spell should he need to. It was all light and easy to move in, something that Nox seemed to appreciate. Crowe was quite proud of herself for coming up with the combination. There had been quite a bit of grumbling before they finally settled on what the junior glaive was wearing. 

 

“I still don’t see why you insisted on practically fighting with the others over a few pieces of armor. What if the others needed the gear instead of me?” Nox sounded truly worried as he fingered one of the gauntlets. 

 

“You’re a baby glaive. We need to keep you safe,” Crowe teased with a bright smile as they piled into the vehicle. 

 

Nox just looked at her for a few seconds before pinching the bridge of his nose, “Would you please stop calling me a baby? Please? I’m not twelve...”

 

That had the other glaives laughing and shaking their heads even as Crowe slings an arm across the younger’s shoulders. They get the distinct impression that Nox is smiling even though they can’t see it. Once everyone is settled they head out. Nox seems to fall asleep almost as soon as they hit the bridge. It has a couple of the glaives chuckling before Luche sighs. 

 

“Problem, Luche?” Crowe asks quietly, not wanting to wake Nox if he really was asleep. 

 

“Yeah, just a little one,” Luche whispers back, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees. “I thought the captain made it so that juniors weren’t allowed on missions like this, even if the king requested it. It makes no sense.”

 

“I agree with Luche, Crowe. Why the king wanted us to take Nox on a mission like this without him having any combat experience is just crazy,” Libertus added carefully, knowing that the woman had taken a liking to this particular junior. 

 

“Fine, fine. You both have a point, but the kid is good. Really good. I think he’ll be just fine. We should have more faith in him, really,” Crowe all but snapped, eyes flashing. 

 

Luche and Libertus just looked at each other briefly before the blond nodded slowly, “I hope you’re right Crowe.” 

 

After that silence reigned as they carried on toward their destination. Libertus ended up having to wake Nox when they came to a halt at the drop point. The fact that the kid came a wake with magic swirling around his hands eased some of the doubts he and Luche shared, but they were both still worried. Piling out of the car the four glaives slowly approached the fortress. It’s still dark out for right now, but they know they have to be in and out by the time the sun rises. Just because it’s still dark out doesn’t mean that they are guaranteed safety on getting in and out of the facility.

 

“OK, here’s what we need to do; we need to get to the central command area and hack into one of  the computers there. Pelna set up this flash drive with the necessary information, it just needs someone to fill out the prompts when they pop up,” Luche whispered, holding up the flash drive before turning to Nox. “We are going to be covering your back while  you do that, Nox. Once we hit the central command area that is probably the safest thing for you to do. Admittedly the safest thing would be to have you still be in the city, but...”

 

“I can take care of myself, sir. Don’t worry about me,” Nox whispered, taking the drive and tucking it into one of his coat pockets. 

 

“We know you can, Nox, we’re just worried is all. Missions like this are not usually where we try to test a junior glaive,” Libertus murmured, putting a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. 

 

Nox said nothing, he just nodded and turned back toward the gate of the facility. They could see several MT guards patrolling the front gate along with search lights that roved back and forth. Cautiously they edged closer to the towering walls of the fortress, keeping an eye on the lights and the MTs. Luche, as team leader, scouted out the wall itself only to determine that scaling it would not be a good idea. There was barbed wire across the whole top of the wall, clearly to prevent infiltration by a human element. Swearing he inched back to the rest of his team. 

 

“We can’t scale the wall. There’s barbed wire all over the place,” he hissed glancing back every few seconds. 

 

“Then the only option is the front gate,” Nox murmured tugging on one of his gloves as he did. 

 

“Yeah, but that means taking out the guards and dodging the lights. You up for that, kid?” Libertus asked carefully. 

 

“I’m good. We should probably move, though,” the youngest glaive warned with a tap to his wrist, a clear signal to the others. 

 

“Right,” Luche sighed as they edged closer to the road, one hand raised. “On my mark...”

 

The other three fanned out a bit so that they could all get a sight on the three other MTs patrolling the gate. When Luche dropped his hand all four exploded forward, taking down the MTs with a single, silent strike. Getting past the lights was a little harder because when one left the road the other took its place. Nox, being the closest to the lights, watched for a few seconds before warping forward. He hit the ground inside the gate and rolled behind some crates before tapping his communicator. Poking his head around the gate he saw the other three crouching where he had been.

 

Watching the lights again he raised a hand slowly. Crowe raised one of the small daggers she carried on missions like this and waited. Right before the lights changed, leaving a few seconds of darkness between them, Nox dropped his hand. In a blue flash the mage was at his side, sliding behind him as he timed Luche and Libertus into the fortress. Once they were all gathered Luche looked at the younger man and nodded. 

 

“Good eyes, Nox,” he murmured before taking of being some of the crates. 

 

Nox squared his shoulders briefly, the only real sign he accepted the praise before falling in with the other three. Creeping around the base as they did they managed to get almost to the command area before something happened. In taking down one of the MTs on the cat walks around the base Nox accidentally knocked the thing’s helmet off. Swearing as the thing tumbled to the ground with a clatter he bolted for the nearest bit of cover. Unfortunately it just so happened to be an empty MagiTech armor. Diving into the thing he heard his communicator buzz. 

 

Tapping it he head Luche hiss, “Nox, what just happened?” 

 

“The helmet on that sentry came off before I could grab it. IT fell and someone heard it,” Nox hissed back peering out from around the inside of the armor. “I’m sorta trapped in a MA while they are searching.”

 

“Shit...” Luche swore and he could hear the other two cursing as well. “Stay put, we’ll try something to get them off your ass. Hang tight kid.” 

 

Not really trusting himself to speak Nox just watched the troops as they milled around the feet of the armor, searching for whatever caused the noise. One of them found the helmet and that put them all on alert. Swearing internally Nox grit his teeth and looked around for a safe place to warp to. A soft whistle caught his attention. Looking up he saw Crowe perched on top of a nearby building. A stationary searchlight covered the area between the two, though making it impossible for Nox to warp over without being seen. Taking a deep breath he pulled out the flash drive, tossing it between his fingers before looking at the woman again. 

 

He couldn’t see her face but he knew she realized what he was going to do when she spoke, “Don’t do it kid,” she whispered sharply giving an emphatic shake of her head. “We’ll figure out how to get you out of  this predicament.” 

 

“No time,” Nox fired back. “Take the drive and finish. I’m probably about to do something stupid so you can manage it.” 

 

“What in the hell are you gonna do, kid?” Libertus whisper shouted and Nox could hear Luche swearing in the background. 

 

“I’m gonna steal this armor and see what happens,” was all he said before he threw the drive at Crowe. 

 

The woman caught it and watched wide eyed as Nox vanished into the armor, “Be careful kid.”

 

-Inside the armor- 

 

Once the door sealed behind him Noctis pushed the hood and mask off his head, giving his head a shake. He knew he was taking a big risk by even attempting this but something needed to be done and they were running out of time. Settling into the seat he just took a seconds to look at the controls. The last time he was anywhere near one of these things he’d barely gotten a good look at it before he’d been tossed to the ground. This time he was actually trying to use it rather than dismantle it. 

 

Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly before whispering, “Here goes nothing...” 

 

Touching the most obvious button in the center of the console had the thing coming to life, screens flickering to static before showing him what was going on outside the armor. Reaching out the grab a hold of the almost handle like controls he set the thing moving forward. The MTs scattered before the armor like mice before it seemed to register that something was wrong. 

 

There was a burst of static by his head before a voice sounded, “Armor 1184, what’s going on? You weren’t given permission to mobilize! Stop and return to your post at once!” 

 

Noctis didn’t say anything, knowing that if he did he might as well be giving the others up. Pushing the armor forward again he clumsily turned the whole thing to see several other armors headed his direction. Swearing Noctis searched for the weapons controls. He wasn’t planning on using them, he just wanted to know where they were in case he did need them. Getting the armor to all but stumble around he managed to flatten a few MTs before heading into another area of the base. 

 

By now the others had to have had time to get into the command area and start downloading what they were here for. He just hoped that the Imperials didn’t decide to start shooting at him. That would be more than a little problematic. Starting a fight in the armor would be more than a little interesting considering he still didn’t see the weapon controls. The armor stumbled suddenly, one of the legs getting caught in a cord and Noctis found his thumb pressing into a button on one of the move controls. Immediately the gun mounted under the cockpit fired off a few rounds before Noctis realized what was happening. 

 

“What the hell 1184?! What is going on with you?” the angry voice demanded sharply almost startling the royal. 

 

Looking around sharply he dug his phone out of his pocket. While the man was still demanding answers he furiously pulled up a clip of a robot speaking. Hoping it would be good enough he turned the volume all the way up and held the phone out, not even daring to breath. 

 

“Malfunction, malfunction,” the robotic voice said as Noctis swallowed thickly, hoping that the man bought what was happening. 

 

“I figured that, you bucket of bolts! Get back here so we can fix it!” he shouted and Noctis allowed himself to breath. 

 

He pushed play on the clip again as he continued to make the armor stumble around the base. IT made the man on the other end of the line more than a little angry, but that was the point. After a few more minutes of this he saw a flash of blue light near the gate. The other’s had made it out of the base. Sighing Noctis Moved the armor so that it tripped and fell into a stack of crates. Pulling on his hood and mask even as the thing fell he braced for the door to open. 

 

As soon as there was enough space he was throwing a dagger in the direction of the gate. Warping after it he landed behind some crates. Taking a second to breath he heard the gate starting to close and swore. Tossing a dagger between the massive doors he barely made it past them before they ground shut behind him. Tumbling down the side of the road he prayed that nothing saw him as he slid to the bottom of the small hill. Laying there he just tried to breath. After a few moments he heard his communicator buzz in his ear. 

 

Raising a slightly shaking hand he tapped the device, “Y-yes?”

 

“Nox! Holy shit, you’re alive! Are you alright?” Crowe sounded two seconds from totally hysterical.

 

“Y-yeah, I’m alright... just winded, is all,” Noctis stammered out after a few seconds. 

 

“Thank the gods!” Libertus this time, also sounding a little hysterical but not quite to the level of the mage. “Where the hell are you?”

 

Sitting up slowly, mindful of the rising sun and the fact that he was wearing all black, Noctis looked around slowly, “I’m at the bottom of the hill that connects the base to the road. Where are you guys? I know you made it out of the base, but beyond that...”

 

“We’re already back at the truck,” Luche said stiffly, clearly upset. “Can you make it back here?”

 

“Y-yeah, I can do that. I’m on my way there now,” Noctis swallowed thickly before carefully pushing himself to his feet.    

 

It took him a few minutes to actually make it back around to the vehicle in the daylight. There was still the possibility of getting spotted so he needed to stick to the little bit of cover the shadows and the rest of the environment provided. When he finally made it back he could see Crowe passing outside the vehicle while Luche and Libertus leaned against the sides. Carefully hauling himself up onto the road the prince headed in their direction. Thankfully there were no cars in either direction for him to wait for. 

 

The moment they heard his boots on the pavement Crowe was all but lunging at him, “Nox!” 

 

Noctis had no time to react before he was caught in a tight hug. It felt like the woman was going to squeeze the life right out of him, she was holding on so hard. He just stood there for a seconds before he was hugging her back. Libertus and Luche came up on either side of the pair, Libertus grinning like a madman and Luche looking like he was trying to be mad but failing miserably. 

 

“Am I in trouble for that?” Noctis asked slowly once he and Crowe parted. 

 

Luche sighed and shook his head, “As much as I know I really should reprimand you for that, I can’t find the will to do it. IF you hadn’t done that we might have been spotted. As it is I have no idea if we were or not, but considering nothing is launching from the base I would say that we survived this. Congrats ki-Nox.”

 

Noctis tilted his head slightly at the change of address but before he could say anything Crowe threw an arm across his shoulders, “Does this mean he’s got official glaive status?” 

 

“Personally speaking, yes. He’s more than earned it,” Luche nodded with a smile. “The captain will more than likely make it official once we hand in this report, but I would definitely say yes. Also, don’t do that again. We don’t need another Nyx, one is more than enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, I have no idea if there is such a thing as "herb cigarettes" but bear with me here. It was just a thought and I do not condone smoking. It was just a thought for this. 
> 
> Please leave comments, kudos and/or bookmarks! They feed my soul!


End file.
